越来越 (yuè lái yuè) — More and More
Expressing increasing degree or gradual change
Category: Grammar
The Rule
越来越 + adjective/verb means 'more and more [adjective]' or 'increasingly'. It expresses a gradual, ongoing increase. A related pattern 越A越B means 'the more A, the more B'.
Why This Matters
English says 'getting colder and colder' or 'more and more expensive'. Chinese uses the elegant 越来越 pattern. The related 越A越B pattern ('the more...the more...') is extremely common and has no direct structural parallel in English, making it a uniquely satisfying Chinese pattern to master.
Examples
• 天气越来越冷了。(Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng le.) — "The weather is getting colder and colder." [越来越 + adjective for gradual change] • 中文越来越难了。(Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè nán le.) — "Chinese is getting harder and harder." [Every language learner has felt this!] • 他越来越喜欢中国文化。(Tā yuè lái yuè xǐhuan Zhōngguó wénhuà.) — "He likes Chinese culture more and more." [越来越 can modify verbs too] • 越多越好。(Yuè duō yuè hǎo.) — "The more the better." [越A越B: the more A, the more B] • 我越学越有意思。(Wǒ yuè xué yuè yǒu yìsi.) — "The more I study, the more interesting it gets." [越 + verb + 越 + adjective]
Common Mistakes
❌ 天气更来更冷 (using 更 instead of 越) ✅ 天气越来越冷了 → 更 means 'even more' (single comparison). 越来越 means 'progressively more and more' (ongoing change). They're different patterns. ❌ 越来越 without 了 when describing ongoing change ✅ 天气越来越冷了。(了 shows the change is happening) → When describing a change that's currently underway, 了 is natural at the end. It signals 'this change has been happening / is happening now'.
Quick Tip
越来越 = 'more and more' (gradual increase). 越A越B = 'the more A, the more B' (correlated increase). Both are extremely common in daily speech.
越来越 = 'more and more' (gradual increase). 越A越B = 'the more A, the more B' (correlated increase). Both are extremely common in daily speech.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: 天气更来更冷 (using 更 instead of 越) → Correct: 天气越来越冷了. 更 means 'even more' (single comparison). 越来越 means 'progressively more and more' (ongoing change). They're different patterns.
Incorrect: 越来越 without 了 when describing ongoing change → Correct: 天气越来越冷了。(了 shows the change is happening). When describing a change that's currently underway, 了 is natural at the end. It signals 'this change has been happening / is happening now'.
Quiz
What does 越忙越出错 mean?